Short Stories - What I look for as a competition judge

I am pleased to be in this month's Writers Forum magazine talking to Helen M Walters about what I look for when judging short story competitions.

Over the last couple of years, I have been judge for the Chiltern Writers short story competition and also been adjudicator for the SWWJ John Walter Salver Competition (you can read about my afternoon at the award ceremony here.) 

I shall be judging another short story competition later this year. This time, it is the Rosemary Robb Ghost Story Competition for the Nottingham Writers Club. I'm very excited about this as I have written a few ghost stories myself. In fact, it was a post on this blog, about one I'd just had  published in Take a Break fiction Feast, which prompted their prose secretary, Carol Bevitt, to think of me as their judge.You can read the post on my ghost story here.

The thing about writing competitions is they are pretty subjective - what attracts one judge to an entry might leave another cold. Even so, there are a few simple things that can be done to ensure your entry isn't instantly put on the 'no' pile whoever the judge is e.g. make sure your story is professionally presented and has been checked for spelling and grammar errors and, above all, follow the competition rules to the letter. 

Other than that, you can only write something you love and keep your fingers crossed that the judge will too! 

Now of course if you want to know how I judge, the best thing would be to read the whole interview in the magazine but I thought I'd make a short list, here on my blog, of the things I like and dislike in a short story competition entry.

• Write a story, not just a scene (however beautiful)
• Avoid a weak ending
• Balance narrative and dialogue
• Make the story fit the theme
• Whatever question is set up at the beginning of the story, make sure it is answered at the end
• Make me care about the characters
• Avoid cliches
• Avoid too many adjectives/adverbs
• I don't want to be 'aware' of the writer and their techniques
• Don't presume that as I write a lot of romance for magazines that this is what I look for (I enjoy a variety of writing)

and finally:

• Make me feel something (this can be sorrow, happiness, amusement, surprise... anything!) as the ultimate prize will be given to the story that a day (or even a few days) after reading will still be in my head. 

So there you have it - how to get the competitive edge in a nutshell. Just remember, the judge of the writing competition you have entered will have their own set of likes and dislikes.

For anyone thinking of entering competitions, you can do no better than popping over to Patsy Collin's blog, where she regularly posts the latest ones to try... good luck!

A Look Back at 2014

I thought I'd take a look at all the lovely things that have happened in 2014 (this won't include general short story sales or publications).

January - The year started well with some serious goal setting with writing chum, Tracy Fells. Had my my first article published in The People's Friend and tried (and failed) to get to grips with Scrivener.

February - Was interviewed by the The People's Friend for their website. Went to a Jive weekend on the Isle of Wight.

March - Finished my WW2 serial for The People's Friend. My choir Cantatrice won two classes at the Worthing Music Festival. Article published in Writing Magazine on how to be a good blog host.
 
April - Went to a modern jive weekend on Hayling Island. Took my grandson to London for the first time.

May - Was featured in an article in Writer's forum on how to break into serials. Went to Bruges and visited the Flanders Field battlefields of WW1. Met People's Friend writer Alison Carter. Went on holiday to the beautiful Lake District.

June - Had stories published in four magazines in one week. Karen Aldous guested on my blog.

July - Natalie Kleinman was a guest on my blog. Samantha Tonge was a guest on my blog.

August - Met fellow writer Patsy Collins. Sue Moorcroft was a guest on my blog. The two year anniversary of my first story sale. Had a story published in The People's Friend 2015 Annual.

September - Went on holiday to the Dordogne. Author Cally Taylor was a guest on my blog. Was featured in Phil Barrington's 8 days a Week article in Writer's Forum. Went to the paperback book launch of Juliet West's Before the Fall. Went on Della Galton's 'How to Market Your Book' course.

October - Launch party for my romance collection Room in Your Heart. Had and evening with Mary Berry. Kath McGurl was a guest on my blog.

November - went to the RNA Winter Party with author friend Deirdre Palmer and met many on-line writer friends. Had an article published in Writing Magazine on how I put together my story collection for National Short Story Week. My cover designer Sarah Hughes is guest on my blog.

December - Sold my 100th womag story!

All that is left is to wish you all a very Merry Christmas!

Please Don't Make Me Plan

"Right children we are going to be writing an adventure story called The Storm. No, Jimmy, put down your pen - you can't start now because today's lesson will be writing the plan. Remember I  talked last lesson about all stories needing a beginning, middle and end. That's right, Cloe, we have to set the scene,  introduce the problem, plot the build up and the climax to the story and then note down how it will be resolved."

This was me, two years ago, teaching my year 6 class the importance of planning a story.

This is me two years later.

Now what was that interesting comment Ali made when we were swimming last week? Ah yes, she said, "I've been on a diet for four weeks but it's David who's lost the weight." I like that. It would make a good story. Turn the computer on. How shall I start? I know: Val sat on the bar stool and watched her husband at the hob. Singing to himself, he ripped the lid from the double cream and added it to the soup. Now why did I write that? Oh yes, because that was what my husband did last night. What shall I write next? Shall I make Val happy or sad to start with? Let's try happy. "Hmmm... When will it be ready? Shall we open a bottle of wine?" she smiled.

And so it goes on, the story taking shape as I write it, the characters taking over and living lives I hadn't foreseen when I first breathed life into them.

This story was published in Woman's Weekly and there was not a plan in sight.

So what about the saying practise what you preach? I hear you gasp. The simple answer is - I CAN'T! Even at school, I was unable to plan a story and the same holds true today.

Planning! How I dread that word. The mere sound of it conjurs up lines and grids and organisational skills which I seem to lack.

So why is it that I have just spent the last fifteen minutes reading an article by Barbara Dyness about this hateful word in this month's Writer's Forum magazine.

It's because I know that one day - if I am ever to write anything longer, such as a serial or a pocket novel or even (fanfare) a novel, I shall have to have a try, give it a go, take the bull by the horns even.

If I do, I shall use the brilliant mind mapping app on my iPad called Total Recall - which you can read about in my post Mind Mapping Your Stories.

Happy Easter everyone!